Stay affects cases being litigated before administrative-law judges, which high court said were improperly appointed

WASHINGTON—Wall Street’s top regulator pushed the pause button on cases being litigated through its in-house courts one day after suffering a defeat at the Supreme Court.

The Securities and Exchange Commission halted all cases pending before its administrative-law judges, as well as cases that had been appealed to the five-member SEC. The judges on Friday issued orders freezing 12 cases they were considering.